Thiurams, accelerators and carbamates in natural and synthetic latex articles have historically been associated with type IV chemical allergic reactions in humans. The likelihood of such reactions is lessened when the article goes through a pre-leach and post leach process. However, those people who are hypersensitive may still react to accelerators, thiurams and carbamates not extracted during the leaching process.
Producing dipped natural or synthetic latex products is labor intensive, time consuming and expensive. As a result, many producers experience lower profit margins. High scrap rates from articles being stuck together or to molds and compounding errors also contribute to increased manufacturing costs. The energy required to produce a product may fluctuate based on weather, inconsistencies in compounding and mechanical failures. This is also reflected in the quality of the finished product and profitability.
For the purposes of cost reduction and improved chemical resistance, many polymers are laminated or over dipped with other polymers. However, due to differences in physical properties and chemical structure these polymers do not adhere well to each other. Over dipped goods often delaminate easily when subjected to stress or upon aging. This creates hazards to the end user that relies upon the integrity of the films for protection. The manufacturer is also subjected to increased liability when product failure occurs. This problem is particularly applicable to the glove industry. Glove manufacturers often face increased scrap rates when the product delaminates in the stripping and post processing stages. To overcome this problem it is often necessary for the manufacturer to blend the polymers and then overdip. This increases operating cost and reduces the chemical resistance of the prevalent polymer.